Official Style Guide

Creative Summary

The Creative Summary is a document that strategically guides our brand and creative process. It shares what we are trying to achieve through our communications, our key audiences and what our key message is to them. When our communications align with the creative summary, we’ll always “be on brand.”

Our Pillars

While Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina’s stores are well known, more important is its mission-centric work for which the retail social enterprise is a means to impact. All mission-centric and other personalized services are provided online or through 9 Career Centers for free to anyone in the community.

Goodwill provides people with support to empower themselves and thrive through comprehensive job training, skill development, and pathways to upward mobility. 

Goodwill puts people first, focusing on individuals’ abilities and helping them harness their potential, not defining them by their challenges or disabilities. They serve everyone in need of support, especially those who have faced inequity or other barriers to accessing opportunity. Goodwill meets people where they are and provides them with the holistic services they need to reenter, upskill, or advance in their careers.

Its sustainable enterprise model, a donated goods retail model, recirculates and transforms unwanted goods into employment and training programs that help people find jobs and reach financial stability. Eighty-nine (89) cents of every dollar spent in stores supports mission and sustainability, well above the benchmark for nonprofit stewardship.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina’s environmental impact focuses on the landfill diversion/recycling of unwanted goods. Currently they recycle more that 40 million pounds of unwanted goods through retail store operations and 99% of donated consumer electronics through a national partnership with Dell Reconnect.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is the largest non-profit in the North Carolina Triad and likely most of the communities it serves. It has 51 locations across a 31-county region and promotes local impact by putting local resources into programs that benefit the local community.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina strengthens impact uniquely in each community it serves leveraging its ability to convene and more than 250 local partnerships with nonprofits and government agencies to pool resources to strengthen impact.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is a great place to work, offering unique job opportunities to create impact while receiving competitive wages and benefits packages.

What is the objective or purpose of the communication?


To elevate Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina as a partner of choice for impact through a better understanding of its mission and role in the communities it serves, increasing its “give/buy/invest” engagement cycle.

How do your mission, vision, and values set you apart?

How do they align with the values of your key constituents?

We create opportunities for people to enhance their lives through training, workforce development services and collaboration with other community organizations.

What do we want to say?

What is the single most important benefit we can convey?

When I donate to and buy at Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, I’m investing in something bigger for my community. The good we do is because of you.

Why is this true and relevant?

What are the supporting reasons to believe what we say?

Founded in 1926 in Winston-Salem, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina has been a pillar of Winston-Salem for nearly 100 years and serves more than 38k people each year in Northwest North Carolina with its training programs.

Its social enterprise model, a donated goods retail model, recirculates and transforms unwanted goods into employment and training programs that help people find jobs and reach financial stability. Eighty-nine (89) cents of every dollar spent in stores supports mission and sustainability, well above the benchmark for nonprofit stewardship.

While Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina’s stores are well known, people are less familiar with their mission-centric work for which the retail social enterprise is a means to an end. All mission-centric and other personalized services are provided online or through one of our 28 career service locations, including nine Career Centers, free to anyone in the community.

Goodwill is a globally and locally recognized nonprofit for its operational excellence and sustainable enterprise model. The global Goodwill network consists of 165 organizations and is one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Goodwill’s shopping experience delights shoppers in finding one-of-a-kind, unique, vintage items at bargain prices, with outlet stores offering even greater value as goods are sold by the pound. Items are recirculated with such frequency that you are almost in a new store every 15 minutes. Growth of ShopGoodwill.com also enables a digital online experience. These purchases ignite impact. The good we do is because of you.

Is there an appropriate tone?

Is there a believable tone that can be used to differentiate?

  • Revitalizing
  • Generous
  • People-centric
  • Community-minded/A Good Neighbor
  • Environmentally Aware
  • Valued Partner (skill-building/workforce development)

What mandatories exist?

What information must be present? Are there limitations or constraints?

Consistency with brand guidelines for Goodwill International is mandatory across all communications.